Page 39 - Plastic News Issue August 2025
P. 39
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
testes and the penis, human blood, lung and plastic exposure because they are small, en-
liver tissues, urine and feces, mother’s milk, and closed spaces filled with plastic-based materials
the placenta. A February study found nearly a — dashboards, steering wheels, door handles,
spoon’s worth of microplastics in human brain seat fabrics, carpets and carpet liners are all
tissue. A March 2024 study found people with made with plastics, Sonke and Yakovenko said.
microplastics in their carotid artery tissues were
twice as likely to have a heart attack, stroke or “These materials can shed tiny plastic particles
die from any cause over the next three years over time, especially by solar irradiance, friction,
than those who had none. heat and daily use,” they said. “Unlike homes,
car cabins often have limited ventilation, allow-
“The size of these particles are especially con- ing microplastic particles to accumulate and
cerning as the smaller the particle, the bigger concentrate in the air. As a result, they can be
the impact on human health,” said Mason, one inhaled in higher amounts during regular com-
of the first scientists to measure microplastics in mutes or long drives.”
bottled water. Kimberly Wise White, vice presi-
dent of regulatory and scientific affairs at the Testing found some 2,238 microplastics particles
American Chemistry Council, which represents per cubic meter of air inside the cars — much
the plastics industry, expressed concerns about more than the 528 particles found in a similar
the study’s methodology. amount of air from inside homes.
“This study is based on a very small sample size “We often associate plastic pollution with oceans
and acknowledges a contamination rate of 18%, or industrial areas,” Sonke and Yakovenko said,
which raises questions about the accuracy of “but our findings showed that the everyday in-
the findings,” White said via email. “Additional door environment where we spend most of our
work using validated methods and standardized time can be a major source of human exposure.”
exposure assumptions is essential before draw- To measure the plastic concentrations, the team
ing conclusions about potential health impacts.”
used Raman microscopy, a newer and powerful
Cars are a significant source of microplastic technique that can measure down to about 1 mi-
pollution crometer. This technique is different from those
applied in past studies, which have used meth-
To do the study, Sonke and his team took indoor ods that can only measure larger particles down
air samples from their apartments and while in to 20 micrometers, they said.
their cars driving between cities in France. In
the United States, AAA Foundation for Traffic “Their analysis is sound,” said Wei Min, a profes-
Safety statistics have shown the average Ameri- sor of chemistry at Columbia University in New
can spent about 60 minutes a day inside a car York City who specializes in developing next-
in 2023. generation microscopy techniques. He was not
involved in the study.
Car cabins can be a significant source of micro-
August 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 39
